Fluid-meter.



G. S. BINCKLEY.

FLUID METER.

APPLICATION-FILED SEPT- 8.1915.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G. S. BINCKLEY.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

encuen SYDNEY BINCKLEY. or `nos` ANGELES, CALIFQRNIA, 'ASSIGNOPW Bv, MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, lTo D. A. STARBUCK AND I. B. FUNK.

FLUID-METER.

To 'all @hom it may concern l Be 1t known` that' I, GEORGE SYDNEY "BINOK'LEY, a citizen of the United States,

residing at Los Angeles, in the county of `Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Fluid-Meter, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices designed gto measureand register the volume of fluid Kpassing a given'point in the channel or tube `through which they fluid flows.

l An objectief this invention is to produce a device of this `character which will be inexpensive to manufacture and install so that it can be used extensively in irrigation ditches for` they measurement of water passing through said ditches to the land under l ured, thereby causing injury to said bearings and consequent falsity of measuring of the quantity of fluid, and are of such construction that 'the fluid-operated propeller or'wheel is liable to become fouled with trashand the like which fouling is a factor Q in producing falsity of measurements.

-Another object of this invention is to produce a device of which thebearings are not immersed in the Huid being measured and of lwhich the propeller blades are of such construction and arrangement relative to the flow of the fluid as toinsure said propeller blades against becoming fouled by trash and the like. i

Another object is to produce a simple devicewof this -character which will `be relatively accurate even for small flows of fluid.

'in' an irrigation ditch. i

`Another object is to produce a construc-k tion which will admit of ready` installation In general, I contribute largely toward fthe attainment'of the foregoing objects by providing a` bent tube forming a U-shaped passage, a wheel in 4one leg of said tube,

"anda shaft driven by said wheel.

More specifically I provide what I term a v `bent Venturitnbe forming a U-shaped passage expanding from its intermediate portion towardits ends;

Specification of Letters Patent.

" dicated by @a0-m8, Figs. 4 and 5.

Patented oct. 2, 1917.

Application tiled September. 1915. Serial No. 49,420. i

. Other objects and advantages may appear as the invention is disclosed in detail in the subjoined description and in the drawings filed herewith. U

The `accompanying drawings illustrate the invention embodied in two somewhat different forms:

Figure l is a plan view of a fluid `meter built in accordance with this invention.

FigjQ is' a side elevation mainly in section on line indicated by v2-m2, Figs. 1 and 3.

Fig is a transverse section on line indicated by w33, Figs. 1 andv 2, a portion of the partition or one of the walls of the. ac-

celeration chamber being broken away for `for clearness of illustration.

` Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation on line indicated by 5-m5, Figs. 4 and 6.

Y Fig. G is a sectional elevation on line in- There `is provided, what I term from its middle portion toward its ends.v It is understood that the propeller or wheel;

3 need not necessarily be of the form shown in the drawings, but may be of any type or form adapted to be rotated by fluids. The wheel 3 is immersed in the fluid and is connected by a shaft 5 to a measuring and regis tering deviceGlor the like of the usual orV any preferred construction, said device being mounted on the upper end of a tubular casing 7 which surrounds the shaft 5 and which 'fornthe purposes of description, a bent Venturi tube is screwed at its lower end through a flanged collar 8 mounted on the cover 9 of the acceleration chamber 10 of the tube,'the lower end of the casing projecting throughthe cover 9 and being'provided with an antifriction bearing 11 for ythe shaft 5; The casing 7 is also provided at its upper `end with an'antifriction bearing l2.`

The `acceleration chamber 10 is provided with an inlet 1.3 forming the inlet-*of the tube and is providedat .its bottom with an p outlet or contracted throat 14 intermediate ofthe tube, saidinlet and throat inthis'in'- stance having theiraxes at right angles `to one another.

1 The acceleration chamber 10v expands up- .wardly and Lis spaced apart from the bottom Voii'the upwardly expanding diffusion chamber 15 of the tube ilaandidischarges into Y said `diffusion chamber through the throat '14. :Said diffusion chamber 15zs provided at thef endoppositefth'e yinlet .13 .with an out- -let `lfornfiing the outlet of thetubef-said outletL 16 having its aXis substantially eoinling its 'fa'Xis atright, angles to. the axisy oivv the intermediate throat 14.

The structure thus far described is. common -tofrboth forms of the-,invention andI willnow desc'ribe'fthe structurein Figs."1, 2

'and y8''diiierentia-ting froni'thegstructure in Figs-z'111toz6- ."linFigs. `1 to 3 lthe vupper part fof'- :thetaeceleration chamber' Y10 forms a rec- Itangulair portion open -atfoneside vand substantial-ly square, and the lower Yportion fof said acceleration chamber *forms la pyramidic trust-um having itssmfaller end d1- 'rected toward al curved bottom'portion 170i ,the vdi'ustion chamber115 4which is sp-rovided with :a bottom. portion 1-8 yslopingupwardly and rearwardly from lthe curved portion 17. The acceleration and difi'usionchambers 10, 15 together forni-fa lflume and the vrear-wall 1Q-ofthe diffusion chamber forms apartition in thekflume betweeny said chambersand :spaced apart from the `bottom* of said fiume. *The "upper portions of vthe vside -fwalls :21 l of the vexpansion I chamber 15 may Vbe vertical and the intermediate portions slope .finv4wardly-:and :downwardly andithe lower .por-

tions are vertical, i

' The features in 'Figs/4to 6 differentiating Wfrom Figsl'to will'now/be described. In

-Figs. 4c'to fthe bottom f of the diffusion chainber is formed of laterally-divergingftransL versely and vlongitudinally ,curved portions 22Lsepa-rated lby a central rib 23 which is :midway of the sides off the throat '14, and-the 1 :walls ofjthe diusioni chamber diverge outf fwardlyf and f upwardly from said ycurved lpor- `vtions vand;said7walls are spaced apartMf-rom the outwardly and upwardly vdiverging :walls ofl the acceleration chamber -a greater `distance at-the topthanat the bottom :so yas -to formv anupwardly 'expanding passage 24 on 'three sides of the Yacceleration :cham- :ber 10. i

The side walls yof the #acceleration 'charnfber 310 -a-re provided ynearftheirlupper rear Y vcorners with no-tches24fzto'receive the upper :edge of the trontv'all ythewall'Lkthus serving @to for-In One-:side ofvthe 'diffusion chamber 15 and also ff'ormfonefrside :of the acceleration'chamben The upper portion of zthe" Iwall-',Qi'r'extending from one f notch-24 to the yother notelris lower 'fthanfthe upperfportions of' said wall from the notches tothe *adjacent-corners ofthe diffusion cha1nber15 soasltofformthe inlet i13, and the rear wall .26. of. the diffusion chamber is lower than the side walls thereof so as to form the outlet 16.

AInr practice, assuming, for exaniple, that the nieteris to be used in connectionrwith -irrigatien ditches, ,the device will be inserted in the irrigation ditch a with the in -let 13 pointing upstream and the outlet l16 ,pointing down fstreamnd with'the bottoni' :fot-said -ignlet and outlet:substantially onla in @the lditeh la will :flow @through *the inlet 13 andgtzhe velocity of'flow .wllgbe aecelei .atedaby the centraetedportion 18 of-.the acwceleration:chamberffand ,williturn l,the wheel 3 l:so LYas to measure-andifregister, ingannanf ner well understoech'fthe 'quantity of 'water Lfpassing through fthe'fcontracted :throat v14.

.fThe waterfpasses on through said contract l'ed' 'throat A1&1 into@hei-diffusion#chamber yp15 and, owing to :the gradual enlargement f of said diiiusionf-chamber fromthe -ithroatliu to theoutlet 16, the water will deereasedn velocity and the energy vrepresented hythe `-aceelerationL of the velocity attained at the "contracted throat 14 `will be vyrestoredaas,`

a static head `in the diffusion chamber 15.

-fthis device wili-v be reduced to` fa-ffininimum.

. iFrom .thezforegoingvit 1s gseenithat bygthe suse of any device some 2 advantagesyderivable; i

:ff-rom A thewuse of an ordinary rVenturietube,l are VVobtained andvjalsoxth-at thebearings :.willznot deteriorate l-and :furthermore that the wheel rwill :not become fouled by trash;Vr andfvthelilze Las :the longitudinal ,faxes v oi' :the propeller bladesl `coincide `with the lline of fiow ofthe ffluid in the acceleration chamber `so `thatlany trashentering .said chambery will readily slip .along fthe edges of 1the propeller .blades and escape therefrom. v

. Itis-noted that fthe form shown in Figs l,`

to 3 :offers vadvantages of construetioniif e :wood :or metal :be @employed and fthatethe `lform' :shown fin Figs-4 `1to f6 *is especially rvadapted to be readily castinf y"cementffor metal. -V

The form shown :in Figs.` f4 tof'6 ,can be ioo installed `-*with great Yease in an irrigation Vfed .on fthe acceleration chamber and proj ectyinl-g into said acceleration chamber, Ja fluidpropelled wheel in said :throat .fixed on :fthe

shaft, and a registering device connected to said shaft.

2. A fluid meter comprising two chambers one inside of the other, the inner cham* ber being upwardly expanding and having an inlet at its upper portion and having an outlet in its bottom and said outer chamber having an outlet, a shaft having its lower end projecting into the inner chamber, a fluid-operated Wheel on the lower end of the shaft, and a registering device connected to said shaft.

3. A iiuid meter comprising an acceleration chamber having an inlet in its upper portion and having its side walls sloping inward and downward to form a contracted, throat, a diffusion chamber communicating with the lower portion of the acceleration chamber and having upwardly and outwardly sloping walls, a vertical shaft r0- tatively mounted above the acceleration chamber and projecting down into said acceleration chamber, a fluid-propelled wheel on the lower endof the shaft, and a registering device connected to said shaft.

4. A fluid meter comprising two upwardly and outwardly `expanding chambers one inside of the other, the inner chamber having an inlet at its upper portion-and having an outlet in its `bottom and the outer chamber having an outlet, a shaft having its lower end projecting into the inner chamber, a fluid-operated wheel on the lower end of the shaft, and a registering device connected to said shaft.

5. A iiuid meter com rising a chamber having a horizontally isposed inlet and having an outlet, the axis of the outlet be ing vertical, a casing projecting up from the top of the chamber, a shaft journaled near the upper end of said casing and projecting into said chamber, a iiuid-operated wheel on the lower end of the shaft, and a registering device connected to the upper end of sald shaft.

6.y A fluid meter comprising a fiume having an upright partition spaced apart from the bottom of the fiume, said flume expanding upwardly from the lower edge of the partition on both sides thereof, a fluid-operated wheel at a proximately the level of the lower edge o the partition having its axis coinciding with the direction of the line of flow of the fluid adjacent the wheel, and a registering device operated by Said wheel.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 1st day of September, 1915.

GEORGE SYDNEY BINCKLEY.

In presence of- GEORGE I-I. HILES, ANNA F. SGHMIDTBAUER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

